


One Step to Happily Ever After

by cup_of_comfort



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Marriage Proposal, also maybe levi's ooc, because i just can't imagine him proposing romantically with that flat-ass expression, cheesy as hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-25
Updated: 2014-07-25
Packaged: 2018-02-10 09:24:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2019789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cup_of_comfort/pseuds/cup_of_comfort
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, you just need a little bit of support to gather the courage. Levi is no exception.</p><p>Basically Levi is confused (but won't admit it) on how to propose to Eren, and Erwin and Hanji and the others help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Step to Happily Ever After

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rivaillepls](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rivaillepls/gifts).



> Unbeta'ed! The second prompt. Cheesy and mushy with bits of humour and fun. I start to wonder why I always have problems for the opening I feel like crying. And I rewrote this like five times over x_x I hope this is good enough...
> 
> And psh, the only season my skin hasn't tasted is autumn... So please excuse the inaccuracies.

No one had ever told him that proposing to someone was _this_ hard, Levi was sure of it. It was almost fifteen degrees outside, but his palm was sweating, the velvet box containing the engagement ring held tightly in his palm inside his jacket's pocket.

Proposing. _Fuck_.

He looked at his lover beside him. The night was cold and they were walking on the bridge by the river, hand in hand, just finishing their dinner at a local restaurant.

Eren Jaeger was his name; the person he had been dating for almost five years—when he was only just a brat thirteen years younger than Levi—and (although Levi would probably never admit it out loud) the person he ever loved and cared so deeply like no one else had before. Their relationship was not without issues; their distinct age gap, sometimes different point of views, but mostly about how their friends and families thought about them.

But those were all things in the past; and Levi was more than ready to take their relationship into the next step—and he was sure that Eren was ready as well—but proposing to him was a different matter indeed.

"...Levi-san? Are you alright?"

Levi snapped from his thoughts and found that Eren was staring at him in deep concern, his brows slightly creased.

"I'm fine," Levi answered. "Just... tired, perhaps."

Eren smiled softly at him, his green eyes shining with pure affection and... love. "Go home and have some sleep then, Levi-san." He bent down and gave Levi a light kiss on the lips before speaking again. "Would you like me to come to the office tomorrow? My class ends at eleven, so we can probably have lunch together; if you're not busy, that is."

Levi nodded slowly. "Yes... That'll be good." He raised a hand to brush at Eren's chocolate hair, tucking a stray lock behind his ear and moving to stroke his cheek lovingly. "See you tomorrow, Eren."

When they finally parted with another kiss and went their own ways, Levi waited until Eren was out of his sight before he pulled the box out of his pocket, twirling it a few times in his hands before opening the lid to see the ring glimmering dimly under the street lights.

He sighed and pocketed the ring back, mad at himself for being so hesitant; especially at how hard it was for him to simply just say those four words.

...dammit.

—

Hanji couldn't stop laughing at him when she knew.

"... _again_?!" She bent down on her desk, barking with laughter as she held her hurting stomach. "How many times would that be, eh? The... fifth time? Sixth time?"

"Shut _up_ , shitty glasses," Levi growled and glared from across his own desk, a stapler held firm in his grip. "My hands might slip and throw this to you."

"Okay, okay! I'll stop," Hanji finally stopped laughing, but instead the wide grin plastered on her face made Levi even want to let the stapler flew towards her. "But still... Six chances and you let them go wasted, Levi, really? And here I thought that you are actually a pretty daring man..."

If it was possible to set someone ablaze with mere glares, perhaps Levi would have burnt his co-worker to crisp from the moment they met. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing! Nothing, really!" she chuckled. She then turned towards the desk where their head division was seated. "Hey, what do you think, Erwin?"

Erwin didn't look up from the papers he had been editing, but Levi was almost certain that Erwin was paying attention to their conversation as well. "Think of what?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

"Don't act dumb; we know you've been eavesdropping," Hanji said. "You know, about... Levi's sixth time proposing failure?"

The dark-haired man swore that he could practically saw the small smile forming on the chief's face from behind the papers. "Well, I must admit that your story is... quite amusing, so to speak."

The air surrounding Levi turned murderous all of sudden. "I can kill both of you with seventeen different ways using this paperclip, right _now_ , if you don't shut up," he growled, low and dangerous, as he held the clip up. He huffed when Hanji and Erwin decided to lay the joke off.

"Alright, enough with the joking, then," Hanji rested her chin on her palms. "Ever thinking about asking us for some help with the proposal, Levi?"

The dark-haired man's lips were set into a thin line. "That would be very helpful, huh, shitty glasses?" He said, his eyes casted on the sheets of paper in the desk.

Either the woman missed the hint of sarcasm in Levi's voice or she decided to ignore it completely. "That's great! Did you hear that, Erwin?!" Hanji exclaimed happily. "Grumpy Face here has agreed to let us help him with the proposal!"

Erwin let out a silent groan. "I don't really think that it's a good idea," he glanced at Levi, "and I don't think Levi considers it as a good idea, too."

"Whaaat? You two are so boring!" Hanji pouted. "Then how, and when will you propose to Eren, Levi?"

There was a few seconds of silence before the dark-haired man answered. "Soon. And I'll think of something."

"'Soon'? 'Think of something'?!" Hanji exclaimed. "That's so _not_ convincing."

Levi glared. "Alright, shitty glasses, I admit; I still haven't planned it at all," he slammed the paper stack onto his desk. "For fuck's sake, I don't even know whether he wants it or not. To marry me, I mean."

The whole office suddenly went still.

"...well, that's what a proposal is for, right?" Hanji tried to break the icy silence. "To ask whether he'll marry you... or not?"

"Levi," Erwin finally butted in before his second-in-command decided that a homicide inside of his office was a good idea. "Have you thought about this completely?"

"Of course I have," Levi snapped. "It's just... I just... can't find the right time to do it. Or even place. I want this to be perfect for him, dammit; I don't want to screw up."

"Oh Levi..." Hanji cooed. "Poor baby. Don't worry, we're going to arrange something for you and Eren immediately!"

The dark-haired man looked horrified for a moment there and was about to answer when the intercom on his desk rang. " _Sir Levi?_ " The receptionist girl's voice was heard over.

He pushed the button. "I'm here."

" _A young man is waiting for you at the lobby. Should I send him up or...?_ " She trailed off.

Levi nodded when Erwin mouthed a silent _'Eren?'_ and spoke, "Tell him to wait for me; I'm on my way down," before ending the connection. He snatched his jacket from the coat hanger and headed out of the office towards the elevator. "I'm going."

"Don't worry, we get the proposal plan covered!" Hanji yelled from inside the office. "Have a good lunch!"

Levi decided that ignoring her would be the best option.

—

Levi and Eren ended up having lunch in a small pizza parlour only a few minutes’ walk from Levi's office. They shared a medium-sized pizza topped with extra cheese, various meats, and pineapples. Eren also ordered the soup-and-salad and garlic breads for the side dishes, and insisted that they should try the key lime pie for dessert. By the time they finished all the meals, Levi felt so full he didn't think he would eat dinner tonight. But the meal was delicious and satisfying, and seeing his boyfriend happy was worth the stomach pain... perhaps.

He was still thinking about the proposal when Eren gave him a concerned look.

"Levi-san?" Eren called. "You've been so unfocused lately; are you sick?" He put a hand on Levi's forehead, and he let his green-eyed lover do so until Eren retracted his hand back. "You feel fine..."

"I'm not sick, Eren," Levi sighed. "I just have a... lot of things to think of."

The brunette smiled; that sincere smile, which can make Levi's heart warm and brighten his day no matter how many times he had seen it for the past five years. "Does Erwin-san give you a hard time again?"

"It's more like the office gives us a lot of hard times. The sales weren't too good last month, and the high-ups weren't very happy with it." At least it wasn't a complete lie; being a second-in-command of a chief in a high profiled company wasn't always all clouds and rainbows.

"Does that mean... a few days of all-nighters in the office, then?" Eren looked worried.

"No. They might be furious, but Erwin didn't think that it was important. The sales decline had nothing to do with us, he said." Levi shrugged. "Enough about me. Are you doing well in your classes?"

Levi listened to Eren whining about mean professors giving assignments non-stop or surprise quizzes in class, and sometimes gave the young adult a reassuring pat on head and a squeeze on his hand as a silent support in between his ramblings.

He really, _really_ wanted to make this man happy.

They walked back towards Levi's office when his lunch break was nearly over, and Eren surprised him with a peck on his cheek and a sheepish smile afterwards, before bidding him goodbye and took a hasty leave, perhaps feeling embarrassed himself.

The dark-haired man felt his cheeks warmed and swore silently. Eren would be the death of him someday.

—

Hanji was scribbling something on her desk and Erwin was speaking on the phone when Levi entered the office.

"Oh, Levi!" Hanji grinned when she noticed him, waving the paper she was writing on. "Come here, I have something for you!"

"What?" He took the paper Hanji shoved under his nose and gave it a quick read. It was full of to-do points and a bunch of names written beside them. "Arlert... Kirschtein... _Ackerman_? Wait a minute, what is _this_?"

"A preparation list!" Hanji answered cheerfully as Erwin put the phone down. "So many things to do, and just us won't do! Luckily Eren has so many friends that are willing to help!"

Now Levi understood what role his cousin had to do with the list. But still. "There is no need to involve so many people!" He threaded the list once again and found his subordinates' names on a few chores. "Petra, Erd, Günther... Auruo?" Levi glared. "Tell me a good reason why I shouldn't rip this list apart and kill you right now."

"Well... Because I am the coordinator?" Hanji offered. "Hey! Besides, the one that suggested we contact as many people we could use is Erwin!" she pointed a finger towards the accused man.

The blonde man raised an eyebrow. "We do need their help. Eren's friends—especially Armin and Mikasa—know him the best, and it really helps us a lot. They suggested a few more people, and I say okay, as long as they do the job well." He rested his chin on his palms. "You do realise that you can't do it all by yourself, right?"

Levi sighed in defeat. After all, Erwin was right. "At least tell me that there is still something I can do."

"Oh, Levi, there's _always_ something you can do," Hanji grinned, lifting her laptop and turned it towards him. "What do you think of this?"

—

Erwin had told him that proposing was hard.

And that he shouldn't force himself to do something that he never did; he should just be 'himself'.

As if he could do that; that asshole!

His heart was pounding like crazy as he leaned against the lamp post, waiting for Eren to arrive at the park for their supposed 'date'. The preparations were almost done; Eren's friends had really helped a lot, to Levi's surprise. He was the one who chose the location; a local park, creating the 'perfect ambience' like that Kirschtein kid said.

"Levi-san!"

Eren's voice calling for him did nothing to ease his heartbeat. "Eren."

He just hoped he didn't get cardiac arrest or burst a vein right now.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, the traffic's really horrible. Have you been waiting long?"

"...no, not yet." Levi answered as he stared at his lover, bathed in the orange-ish sunset light with his cheeks slightly pink. "Come here."

Eren obediently complied, and he squeaked when Levi covered his eyes with both of his hands. "L-Levi-san?! W-What is—"

"It's okay. Calm down, Levi whispered. "Don't you trust me?"

Eren hastily nodded.

"Then just follow me, alright?" Levi released his hands, but Eren's relief was short-lived when Levi blindfolded him with a handkerchief, tying it tightly around Eren's head. When he was satisfied, he took Eren's hand and began walking.

"W-Where are we going, Levi-san?"

"A more suitable place," Levi answered vaguely. Eren stumbled a few times trying to match Levi's pace while being unable to see, and when Levi stopped abruptly he nearly crashed onto Levi's back. "Stay still. Don't open the blindfold until I tell you."

"Okay..." Eren answered. He nervously waited a few moments before Levi asked him to remove the blindfold.

Levi was certain that Eren didn't expect it at all when he lowered the cloth.

All of them had worked so hard to decorate the spot with countless lilies—a flower Eren loved—arranged into small, pretty bouquets or just placed them randomly around. A small table nearby held a banquet enough for a big crowd. "What..." Eren said breathlessly.

"Eren," the brunette looked down, his green eyes widening when he saw Levi on a knee. He gaped to respond, but the dark-haired man beat him to it. "I... don't really know how to said this, but..."

(Levi was pretty sure that he saw Hanji face-palming as she held her laughter from the corner of his eye. He swore he would kill her later.)

"I... Uh..." Levi's slightly trembling hand took Eren's into his, holding them tight. The prepared speech he had written and memorised with the rest of his subordinates suddenly vanished from his memory. His tongue felt numb and he was too nervous to even speak.

_Just be yourself, Levi. Eren loves you the way you are. Even if you screw up... He bears with you all these years, so why won't he bear your shitty proposal now?_

Erwin's voice echoed inside his head. Levi gritted his teeth, swallowed hard before tilting his head up to face Eren. "You're beautiful. Marry me."

Well, that was one sentence perhaps anybody never expected coming out of him.

"Wh-What..." Eren stammered, his green eyes widening and his cheeks reddening. "Levi-san... What are you—"

"—I'm proposing to you," Levi deadpanned, reaching inside his pocket and pulled out the velvet ring box he had, opening it to show the content, the diamond stone glittering beneath the sunset light. "You have been my world for these five years, Eren Jaeger. You bring the happiness to me, and I'd like to give the same to you." He inhaled, exhaled, trying not to sound nervous. "I love you. Marry me."

Eren had both of his hands covering his mouth, and his green eyes shining with unfallen tears. "Ah..." he whispered. "Y-Yes, Levi-san, oh my god..." He bit his lip.

Levi took the ring and slid it on Eren's right ring finger, before kissing his hand and stood up, pulling the taller man for a kiss.

Hanji and that Springer kid were the ones who burst out first, looking terribly guilty when Levi and Eren broke the kiss in surprise. The dark-haired man glared at them; a silent promise of 'I'll deal with you later'.

Afterwards the feast was great; Eren was truly surprised that even his friends took a part in the proposal party, and his happy smile made Levi felt warm inside.

 _Yeah_ , he silently thought. Sometimes everybody just needed a little bit of support to find the courage. And he was no exception. After all... He got to see his loved one happy; that was enough for him.

**Author's Note:**

> So I admit it turns out finishing this takes too long than it should be (and I end up spitting out more words than I should) so I apologise for that. At least now I know that I'm incapable of being inspired so quickly... OTL To make it worse I kinda feel bad having Levi so OOC here but you know... How can one like Levi propose romantically? orz
> 
> Next one will be a long project. I'm still trying to figure out how to make the first chapter into a decent beginning... (and since my muse somehow manages to vanish into thin air I somehow doubt it'll come soon... meh.)
> 
> tumblr: [cryohydro](http://cryohydro.tumblr.com/). feel free to bother me anytime for a chat or something.
> 
> (and now it's time for me to crawl and die somewhere sobs)


End file.
